CASEY GOLDEN TRIO- OutliersScrampion Records – SCRAMP002Casey Golden (piano) Bill Williams(bass) Ed Rodrigues (drums, percussion). Recorded August 6th 2014, Sydney, Australia.What does it take to stand out from the crowd –to be an `outlier`? Being possessed of the competencies that enable one to express oneself in a new and arresting fashion must be part of the formula and in the increasingly crowded genre of the post modern piano trio that is no small achievement. All the musical ingredients we associate with the new wave of piano trio jazz are present to some degree in this Aussie set but there is a refreshing originality in the way they are put together which makes this a particularly interesting release and one that is worth seeking out even though the musicians may be unknown to us. The quartet is a highly integrated group producing music that has lots of moving parts within its overall structure challenging the listener’s expectations at every turn .Golden’s asymmetric, chromatic themes are underpinned by highly articulate bass and drums accompaniment which is woven contrapuntally into the melodic fabric as well as reinforcing the ostinato driven momentum and emerging from time to time with powerful solo statements. The leader’s musical conception appears to be assembled out of motivic cells and episodic phrases that allow plenty of space for the other voices to be heard as equal partners in the mix which has an architectonic quality, a sort of built musical environment but one in which the finished product appears greater than the sum of its parts. It is most apposite that the opening track is entitled `Flatpack Empire` because it rather re-inforces the image of a structure being put together according to a carefully thought out blueprint. I couldn’t stop thinking about a line that used to appear in the instructions that came with self assembled shelving; “Make it tight and right, not slack and sloppy”. Tight and right is an abiding characteristic here too, though whilst displaying a precision that comes of close knit collaboration and well honed craftsmanship the trio could never be accused of rigidity. Yet ,the architectural metaphor shouldn’t be overplayed, the music isn’t all about angularity and multi faceted complexity , there are some lyrical moments and trance like harmonies , a particular example being the elegiac folk type ballad, ` Home` but overall Golden and his companions are out to grab our attention and this they accomplish with great musical resourcefulness, originality and impressive technique .Reviewed by Euan Dixon

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